Facts and Questions
1. What type of products and services do you provide? We are a full service shop and offer a wide range of products and services. To see a full listing and description of what we can offer you, check out the Products & Services area in the Customer Service Section of our website.
2. How do I go about getting an estimate from you? Check out our Get A Quote page to submit a request online. Otherwise, the best way to ensure that we get all the information necessary to do an accurate quote is to give us a call and talk with one of our customer service representatives.
3. At what resolution should I save my photos and graphics? Resolution should be set to a minimum of 150 dpi, but preferably 300 dpi. Please be aware that pictures and graphics pulled from the internet are often low resolutions, typically 72 dpi or 96 dpi. Avoid these graphics, as they will appear pixilated and blurry when printed. Click here to download our Art Submission Guide.
4. What is a proof and why is it important that I look at it? A proof is a picture of your project after all modifications and printing setup processes have been completed. It is your last and best opportunity to make sure that your project job comes out the way you want. By carefully inspecting the proof, you can help us assure an accurate, flawless delivery of your print job on the first run.
5. What is the Pantone Matching System? The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a color reproduction standard in which colors all across the spectrum are each identified by a unique, independent number. The use of PMS allows us to precisely match colors and maintain color consistency throughout the printing process.
6. Why do the printed colors look different from the colors on my screen? In short, printers and monitors produce colors in different ways. Monitors use the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, which usually supports a wider spectrum of colors. Printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model, which can reproduce most—but not all—of the colors in the RGB color model. Depending on the equipment used, CMYK generally matches 85–90% of the colors in the RGB model.
7. Is white considered a printing color? It can be. Because white is normally the default color of many of the paper, vinyl and other substrates we use, it is usually recognized as the absence of any ink. However, when using a clear or colored background, white ink may be used if any text or graphic requires it, so in these instances, it would be considered a printing color.
8. What file format should I use when submitting my electronic document for printing? PDF (Portable Document Format) is the most common and preferred file format for submitting digital documents. With the installation of a PDF print driver on your computer, virtually any program can generate a PDF file suitable for printing. Both commercial and free PDF print drivers are available online for download from different sources. Please note that JPEGs or files copied from a web site are usually not very good and will result is very pixilated (blurry) print. For more detail on preparing your file click here.
